Safety device for razor blades and to safety razors



March 17, 1925. 1,530,331

P. M. SALERNI SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAZOR BLADES AND TO SAFETY RAZORS Filed June 28, 1924 also some danger of injury to the fingers l to Safety Razors, a specification.

Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PIERO MARIA'NO SALERNI, OF SYDENHAM HIJQL, LONDON, ENGLAND.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAZOR- BLADES AND TO SAFETY RAZORS.

Application filed tune as, 1924. Serial No. 722,888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, P112120 MAnIANo SAL- ERNI, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at No. 20 Sydenham Hill, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating' to Safety Devices for Razor Blades and of which the following is The present invention relates to safety devices for safety razor blades of the kind which are whetted by use of devices of the known type in which the blade is reciprocated over the whetting surface and is automatically rocked at the end of each stroke to reverse the blade. The invention also relates in some degree to safety razors. In honing and/or stropping devices of the said type there is some danger of injury to the fingers at times when the edge of the blade is upwardsis being secured to or released from the whetting device. Vith safety razor blades of the kind which are whetted by theuse of devices of the aforesaid type there is when placing or removing the blade in or from the holder with which it is used. The

main object of the present invention is to avoid the danger of injury to the fingers in a convenient manner and without interfering with the use of the blade in shaving.

According to the said invention there is connected to or associated with the safety razor blade a guard member extending along the ed e of the blade and at a little distance tierefrom and free to turn or to be turned-to a limited extent to each side of the edge of the blade, whereby the edge is prevented from being dangerously or unduly exposed at any time, without interfering with the whetting operation or the use of the blade in shaving and without the necessity of removing the sa1d member from the blade.

The said guard member may constitute the guard in shaving quite independently of the ordinary guard embodied with or secured on the tray or holder of the safety razor, whereby such a tray or holder with guard'may be dispensed with; the holder of the safety razor may consist merely of a handle and a simple clip device or the like for the blade. The said guard member may however also constitute the guard in shaving when the blade is secured in a tray or when the blade or holder of the usual general type and embodying or having rigidly secured thereto a guard of the usual kind which however does not function when a safety blade pro vided with a guard member according to the present invention is used therewith. In this case the blade is so adjustedin the tray or holder that its edge is above the guard member resting on the ordinary guard of the tray or holder and then the guard member constitutes the acting guard.

- It is preferred that the limit of position of the guard member to one side of the edge should beat a. greater or less distance from the edge of the blade when it is on the other side, thus affording the user a choice of two degrees of closeness of shaving and means may also be provided whereby the limit on each side may be adjusted from time to time as may be desired.

The bearing of the guard member on the whetting surface during each stroke of the razor blade thereon, would tend in some cases to deteriorate the whetting' surface and would wear the guard member and when the razor blade is in use and the said member constitutes the sole guard in shaving, the guard member if quite free to turn might cause some'little inconvenience in use. According to the present invention therefore provision is preferably made whereby the guard member in being moved over from its movement and is prevented from returning unless and until a little force is exercised in a ,direction towards the other side. The engagement in this case between the blade and the guard member on each side of the blade edge may thereforebe considered as of a snap character in which the snap action causes the final movement of the guard member to one side of the blade edge. I I

The guard member is conveniently of approximately the form of three, sides of a rectangle, the longer side being adjacent to the edge of the blade and the other two shorter sides or arms being substantially at right angles thereto and adjacent to the sides of the bl e. The guard member is pivoted to the b ade at each side and the guard member maybe limited in its movement by an inter-engaging projection on of the particularly and recess being located on the farther side pivoting from the edge of the blade. The device for limitation of movement may be at one or both ends of the blade. The device for adjustable'limitation of movement may consists of means whereby the eflective comparative diameters of the said projection and recess may be varied. Vhen provision is made as aforesaid for the auto matic movement into, and retention of the guard member in, proper position in being moved over, the provision may conveniently consist of. a rounded projection on the inner side of one of the arms of the guard member working over two adjacent conical or similar recesses against the resilience of the guard member so that as that member is moved over from one position to the other its rounded projection has first to mount up the side of the recess in which it is engaged and then as it passes into the adjacent recess the resilience of the guard member causes the projection on'it to move down into that recess so far as the limiting device permits so that about half of the movement of the guard member from one position to the other is performed automatically and the guard member is retained in its new position until some little force is exerted on it to move it over in the reverse direction. This device for the automatic final movement into position and prevention of free return of the guard member may itself constitute a device for limiting its movement on one or other side of the blade and may be provided at; each end of the blade but when according'to the present invention a. device is provided whereby the limita-' tion of movement may be adjusted, it is preferred that this latter device shall be provided at one end of the blade and the device for causing automatic I1 final movement of the blade shall be at the other end of the blade.

In order that the present invention may be better understood and readily carried into effect it is hereinafter described more withreference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example the preferred embodiment of the various features hereinbefore described.

Figure 1 of the said drawings is a face view (with a small portion in section) of a safety razor blade of the kind hereinbefore referred to provided with a guard member according to the said invention. Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the back of the blade. Figure 3 is an end View from the left hand side of Figure 1. Figure 4 is an end view from the right hand side of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a frat entary end view of a portion of the bla e looking from the left hand side of Fi re 1, and Figure 4 is a similar view loiing from the right hand side of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a local section on the line 5 5, Figure 1, Figure 6 is a face view of the inner side of that arm of the guard member which is on the left hand side of Figure l, the said Figure 6 being drawn to a larger scale than the figures hereinbefore referred to. Figure 7 is a side view of a safety razor constituted of a blade provided with a guard member according to the present invention secured in position on a handle as a holder. Figure 8 is an end view of the same looking at the upper face of the blade. Figure 9 is a fragmentary side view partly in section of the upperpart of the handle or holder in Figure 7. Figure 10 is a side viewof a safety razor constituted of a blade provided with a guard member according to the present invention secured in a holder of known type having embodied in it a guard member, and Figure 11 is an end view of the safety razor Figure 10 looking towards the upper face of the blade.

In the following description the parts of the drawings are referred to by the letters and numerals marked thereon, the same letters and numerals of reference indicating the same or similar parts in all the figures of the drawings.

a is the safety razor blade provided with the guard member constituted of the longer bar I) and side arms b b which are resilient and are arranged to press towards the ends of the blade to which they are adjacent.- The said guard member may conveniently be made of spring rustless metal as for instance German silver and is pivoted to the blade at 05 d by means of projections on the inner side of the arms 6 6 having a working engagement in recesses in the ends of the blade. The blade is provided with apertures a 0 to form the socket of a bayonet joint-like temporary connection between the blade and a pin on the carrier spindle of the whetting devicewhen the blade is arranged in that device for whetting it. This provision in the blade is no part of the present invention. At the left hand end of the blade looking at Figure 1 there is provided an adjustable device to limit the movement of the guard member I; b b on one or other side of the blade and at the right hand end of the blade looking at F igure' 1 the device is provided to cause the final movement of the guard member into position towards one or other side of the blade and retain it there automatically. Both these devices are located on the farther side of the pivoting (Z d judged from the edge of the blade. The limitation of movement device consists of a pin e on the arm 6 working freely in a recess ein the end of the blade and the abutment of the sides of the said pin against the wall of the said recess on one or other side of the said pin limits the movement of the guard member.

The said recess 6 is not located symmetrically as compared with the pivoting (Z d, that is the centre of the said recess is not in line with the centre of the pivoting and the edge of the blade and the arm b being straight the limitationof movement of the guard meinber is greater on one side than the other-see Figures 3 and 4 in which the full lines show the position of the guard member on that side of the blade when it is nearer the edge which is the position shown in Figure 1 and the broken lines indicate its position on the other side of the blade. which positionit. will be observed is farther from the edge on that side than the position on the other side of the blade shown in full lines. The provision for adjustment of the limitation device e e consists in means whereb the inner part of the pin e which is somew at tapered or conical may be ,allowed to be within the recess 6 to a greater or less distance in an axial direction whereby the throw of the pin across the recess may be varied in its extent because the effective comparative diameters of the pin 6 and recess 6 are varied.

The means for adjusting the distance of the pin 6 in the recess e consists of a collar c with milled edge having a working enpin 6 and provided gagement around the which has frictional with a rounded teat e engagement with one or other of a series.

- of recesses e provided on the inner face of the arm I) at the part (see Figure ti) which face is of a helical or inclined shape. The arm 6 is arranged to press with resilience towards the adjacent end of the blade and by turning the collar 6 the teat 6 may be caused against friction to engage in any oi1e of the recesses e and according to which recess the said teat is engaged with, so the armb is sprung out a I so greater or less distance from the end of the blade or allowed to move towards it carrying the pin e with it ineither direction and so adjusting the penetration of the pin in the recess e. The engagement of the teat c with one of the recesses e andthe resilience of the arm 6 are such'that when the collar a has been adjusted its adjustment will not be interfered with during the movement of the guard member from one position to the other, the inner face of the collar e resilient friction against the adjacent end of the blade about the mouth of the recess e. At the other end of the blade there are provided two somewhat shallow conical recesses f closely adjacent one to the other (see Figure 5) and the inner side of the arm b is provided with a rounded projection f constituted by a steel sphere engaged in the said arm 6 by pressing. The arm b presses with resilience toward the. adjacent end of the blade. The recesses f f are arranged symllow the sphere f where'the two recesses f f-joinsis to one sidebf the pivoting d d to the same extent as the centre of the recess 6 and on the same side of a line joining the centre of the pivoting with the edge of the blade. As the guard memberb b b is thrown over from its position on one side of the blade edge to the other the sphere f is caused against the resilience of the arm b to mount up the side of the recess in which it is located and eventually to pass over the junction between the two recesses and then the resilience of the arm 5 automatically causes the sphere f to move down towards the centre of the other recess whereby the latter 'part of the movement of the guard member takes place automatically by reason of resilience of the arm 12 and with resilience retains the sphere in the recess in until a little force is exerted to move the sphere up the side of that recess towards the other. If the arrangement be such that the sphere is free to take up a position at the centre of each of the recesses f f re'spectively those recesses may limit the movement of the guard member in one or other direction but such limitation is not adjustable. In the arrangement illustrated there is a device for adjustment of the limit of movement as .liereinbefore described and this adjustment is such that while the greatest throw of to move from the centre of one recess f to the centre of the other, yet adjustment may be made whereby the sphere f is limited more or less in its movement towards the centre of one or other of the recesses. In other words the pin a may be so adjusted relatively to the recess e that it makes contact with the wall of the which it is located the guard member may recess e before the sphere f reaches the centre of one or other of the recesses f f. This is well illustrated in Figure 5 from which it will be seen that although the guard member is at the limit of its movement in one direction because the pin e is in contact with one side of the recess a (see Figure 3.) yet the sphere f is not at the centre of the recess d in which it is located. As the parts are illustrated the adjustment at c c has been made such that the throw of the guardmember is less than the maximum but yet not the minimum. In the drawings the teat e is shown as engaged with the uppermost recess 6* shown in Figure 6. If the collar 0 were turned so that the teat will engage with the recess to the right of the middle in Figure 6 then the movement would be still more re- 6 then the arm 6 would be forced outwardly more than as shown in Figure 1 so withdrawing the pin 6 a little more from the recess 6 thus permitting a greater throw of the guard member.

As the arms 12 b of the guard member are resilient relative to the bar 6 the guard member'may be sprung into position on and in engagement with the razor blade.

he guard member I) b b may very conveniently form the sole guard for shaving so that the safety razor holder may consist merely of a handle with a bracket or clip device such as shown in Figures 7, 8, 9. The bracket or clip device consists of an angled bracket withoverhanging ear g coacting with a sphere h arranged in the handle and which may be forced downwardly against a spring Il The sphere is prevented from leaving the handle by the part 72, being pressed inwardly around it after the sphere is originally placed in position. The blade a with its guard member is placed in position in the holder by merely passing it endwise beneath the overhanging part 9 of the clip and the sphere 71. until the ear is about midway between the ends of the blade. In order that the blade (1 may be correctl adjusted in the holder and the better to secure it frictionally in that position a shallow recess is provided in each face of the blade midway of its length one of which recesses is shown at i in Figure 1, the said recesses 11 being at such position from the back of the blade that when the blade is in the clip the sphere 71, may engage in the recess z' in that face of the blade which is nearer to it and the recess is such that while the sphere it may snap into it this resilient engagement does not prevent endwise removal of the blade from the holder when a little force is exercised at one or other end of the blade.

Although according to the present invention a safety razor blade provided with a guard member may be used with a holder such as illustrated in Figures 7, 8, 9, not provided with a fixed guard of the usual kind, yet the blade with guard member may be used with known types of holders having secured to or embodied with them a guard of ordinary kind. In Figures 10 and 11 such an arrangement is shown, the holder of the safety razor there illustrated being one in which the blade is held between an overhanging resilient flange j and the inner end of the handle l, this inner end being screwed into the part m to adjust the blade and bind it with more or less force against the flange j. m is the fixed guard of the holder and which would function as the guard in shaving in the ordinary way but when a blade provided with a guard member according to the present invention is used with the holder the guard member 6 b b is the guard in shaving and it lies over or on top of the guard m--see Figure 10. When a safety razor blade provided with a guard member according to the said invention is.

used with this form of holder the adjustment of the blade in the holder must be such that the edge of the blade is a sufiicient distance from the fixed guard m to allow the guard member to be accommodated in proper position to act as the guard in shaving.

In the honing or stropping operation the guard member by turning slightly relatively to the blade due to its impact on the whetting surface readily permits the edge of the blade to bear on the whetting surface and at each reversal of the blade is so turned and at times while the edge of the blade is upward as during reversal or while the blade is being secured or released, the said guard member is located only such a slight distance from the edge that the edge is not dangerously exposed, thus obviating any liabilityto cut the fingers in manipulating the blade or by accidental contact therewith and the same immunity is ensured when the blade is being manipulated to secure it .in or remove it from a holder.

The limitations to the extent of turning movement of the guard member 6 b b in either direction must be such that the blade edge is not exposed to such an extent that there is any real danger of serious injury to the fingers and the limitations are preferably such as enable the said guard member to be in itself a safe and efficient guard when the blade is in use in shaving. The provision whereby the position of the guard member to one side of the blade is a greater distance from the edge than on the other side is very advantageous as it affords the user a choice of two adjustments in shaving. the blade being secured in the holder in the proper way up to obtain the benefit of that one of the two adjustments desired as when the blade is'in the holder the guard member must always be on that side of the blade nearer the handle. The dey'ice provided whereby the limit of turnmg movement of the blade may be adjusted is also advantageous as it extends the adaptability of the device according to the view of the user as regards the closeness of the shave desired or the parti ular manner of manipulating the safety razor when using it. a

A subsidiary advantage of the present invention is that during the whetting operation the guard member acts to some extent as a shock absorber as the blade is being reversed as the slight force necessary to turn the guard member reduces to an advantageous degree the comparative violence of the striking of the blade edge on the whetting surface when reversal is taking place very rapidly as usually occurs. This -ofa would be true even without the provision dethe opening paragraph of this specification scribed whereby the latter part of the turning movement of the guard .member is automatically effected.

The provision whereby the latter part of the turning movement in either direction of the ard member and its retention on either side ofthebladeagainst the exercise of a .little force isautomatically efl'ected is very advantageous because when the blade is being whetted the impact of the guard member on the whetting surface causes the said member to assume and retain a position in 'which it is clear of the whettingsurface' and when the blade is being used for shaving the provision conveniently ensures the guard member being temporarily retained in proper position as a guard in shaving, without fear of accidental displacement and the user may use the safety razor with confidence and without the necessity of care that in using the blade the guard member shall not be accidentally caused to move to the wrong side of ,the blade having regard to the way in which is is being used.

It is to be understood that the provisions for different limits of throw of the guard member on one side of the blade as compared with the other and for adjustment of the limits of throw and for automatically bringing about the latter part of the movement of the guard member and its retention on either side of the blade against exercise of a little force are notof the essence -of the invention although these provisions are part of the invention and the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments of those provisions and the arrangement of guard member'described with reference to the accompanying drawings as theymay be embodied in other ways. For instance instead of the variation of the limit of throw of the guard member on the one side as compared about by disposing "the provisions at. e and f f a little to one slde of the prolongation through the centre of the pivoting, they may be at the middle of the thickness of the blade and the pivoting might be disposed a little to one side of a line joining the centre or middle of the provisions at e f with the edge of the blade or both the pivoting and the said provisions might be on the middle'and the projections e and f might be out of line with the pivoting and the 'edge of the blade and instead of the recesses f f and sphere f a steel pin with rounded end may be provided on the innerside of the arm 6 working across a single recess in the adjacent end of the blade, the middle part of the bottom of which re,- cess is provided witha protuberance. The present invention is however limited to safety razor'blades of the kind referred to in with the other being brought line passing from the edge of the blade and safety razors in which such blades are employed or embodied as I am aware that it has before been proposed to provide razor blades of the ordinary directly hand con-' trolled type with swinging guards although edge thereof and at a distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turnedacross the edge of the blade to either side thereof, and -means to temporarily retain the said member in a position on one or other-side of the blade.

2; In combination, a safety razor blade of. the kind to be vwhetted by use of a device in which the blade is reciprocated over the whetting surface and automatically rocked at the end of each stroke to reverse the blade and which is used by being engaged for the time being in a holder, a guard member carried by the said blade extending along theedge thereof and at a distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned across the edge of the blade to either side thereof, and means to temporarily retain the said member in a position on one or other side of the blade, the.

said position being nearer to the edge of the blade on one side thereof than the other side thereof.

3. In combination, a safety razor "blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along'the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, the said blade having a recess, and a (pm on the said member located in the sai limit the movement of the said member.

4. In combination, a safety razor blade,

a guard member'carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enablin the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of theblade, a device to limit the moveadjust at will the extent of movement of the said member.

5. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at alittle recessand free to work therein, to

120 ment of the said member, and adevice to located and free to work in'the said recess to limit the movement of the said member, and a device to vary at will the'effective comparative diameters of the said pin and recess to adjust the extent of movement of the said member.

6. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, the said blade having a recess, a tapered pin carried by the said member located and free to work in the said recess to limit the movement of the said'member, and a device to vary at will the extent to which the said pin is within the said recess, to adjust the extent of movement of the said member.

7. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, the said blade having a recess of diameter decreasing towards its bottom, a pin carried by the said member located and free to work in the said recess to limit the movement of the said member, and a device to vary at will the extent to which the said pin is within the said recess to adjust the extent of movement of the said member.

8. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, the said blade having a recess, a tapered pin carried by the said member located and free to Work in the said recess to limit the movement of the said member, the said member having a helical or inclined surface around the said pin provided with spaced recesses, and a collar around and free to turn on the said pin and located between the said helical or inclined surface and the end of the blade, and a projection on the said collar adapted to engage in one or other of the said spaced recesses to govern the extent to which the said pin is within the said recess in the blade.

'9. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned at each side of the edge of the blade, the said blade having a recess of diameter decreasing towards its bottom, a pin carried by the said member,

located and free to work in the said recess to limit the movement of the said member, the said member having a helical or inclined surface around the said pin and provided with spaced recesses and a collar around and free to turn on the said pin and located between the said helical o'r inclined surface and the end of the blade, and a projection on the said collar adapted to engage in one or other of the said spaced recesses to govern the extent to which the said pin is within the said recess in the blade.

10. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, and a device to cause the latter part of the movement of the said member to take place automatically.

11. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a" little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, and a device to automatically move the guard member by impact on the whetting surfaces to a position clear of the said surface.

12. In combination, a safety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, a projection carried by the said member and working across the end of the blade as the said member is moved, over, means to press the said member resiliently towards the end of the blade, the said end of the blade having an, interrupted formation at the part across which the said (projection works and such that as the guar member is moved over from one side to the other the said, projection is forced outwardly and then allowed to move inwardly, for the purpose set forth.

13. In combination, asafety razor blade, a guard member carried thereby extending along the edge of the blade and at a little distance therefrom, meansenabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, a projection carried by the said member and working across the end of means to press the said member resiliently towards the end of the blade, the said end of the blade being provided at the part across, which the said projection works with two recesses adjacentto each other and such that as the guard member is moved over from one side to the other the said projection is forced outwardly from one recess and then allowed to move inwardly into the other recess, for the purpose set forth.

14. A safety razor consisting of a blade, a guard member carried by the said blade extending along the edge thereof and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side i of the edge of the blade, and a holder to a guard member carried by the said blade extending along the edge thereof and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of:

- the edge of the blade, and a holder to which the blade is removably secured, the said holder consisting essentially of a handle and a spring pressed ball and an overhanging lip or flange co-operating with said ball to engage between them the blade at its back part.

16. A safety razor-consisting of a blade, a guard member carried by the said blade extending along the edge thereof and at a little distance therefrom, means enabling the said member to be turned to each side of the edge of the blade, and a tray or holder in which the blade is removably secured and comprising a fixed ard, a handle, and a device to adjustably secure the blade in the said tray or holder and to enable the edge of the blade to be above the said guard member, and the said guard member to be located above the fixed guard comprised in the said tray or holder.

PIERO MARIANO SALERNI. 

